SPRING

Here's a bit of what we've been doing with Spring so far....

Duncan started soccer!

 Family night ice cream treats.

 Ronan entered the Science Fair at school.

His project was to find out which video game increased his heart rate the most.

Our finding: NONE of them! Every video game actually decreased his heart rate! It was a good eye opener for him!

 Picnic dinner at the river with friends.

 At one of our favorite spots!

 I'm SO ready for summer!!!

 Enjoying our lovely spring flowers in the front yard!

Morgan performed in her first music competition! She played the flute and did great!

We've been having a lot of rain this past week, which is good for the grass I'm trying to grow in the back yard, and our vegetable garden.  We are all exited for summer and all the fun that comes along with it!

EASTER 2012

Here's some of our Easter fun this year:

We did the traditional dying of the eggs...

We dyed 41/2 dozen eggs.

I don't boil the eggs before we dye them (I mean-who needs that many boiled eggs?)

In the 14 years we've been dying eggs with our kids we've never had a cracked egg yet, and this way they can dye more eggs.

They each got 9 eggs a piece to dye.

I tried something new this year, that I think will become a regular...

I brought the laptop to the table and played videos about the life of Christ while we were dying the eggs.

To help reinforce what Easter is all about.

This worked out wonderfully, as there is usually some waiting time when dying them anyway.

Everyone loved it, and kept asking for the next video when one would end.

Success!

We had a fun time and ended up with some wonderfully colored eggs!

Then, on Easter morning the bunny made his appearance!

He even left a few foot prints!

And nibbled on his carrot.

The kids had fun finding eggs out on the deck, 

as well as inside.

Madelyn was so happy with her finds!

The bunny brought Hayden a book....wonder how he new he'd enjoy that?

The girls checking out their candy.

Ronan and Duncan

With all the Easter excitement, eating breakfast, and getting ready and out the door for church by 8:30am, the morning flew by!

I had wanted to get a nice photo of the kids, but they weren't all that cooperative.

This was the best I got!

The little girls were actually the best behaved of them all!

After church we had an Easter egg hunt with our neighbors!

Between the 4 families there is 15 kids, and it was tons of fun!

My neighbor Christy had hidden 350 eggs while we were at church!

We decided next year will be 500.

The kids were all over the place looking for them!

Showing me her eggs.

Isn't she just cuteness?

And my little Ashlyn.

My sister and her boyfriend joined us for the hunt.

They had a good time on the kids play set though!

Missy and I

Brian put on a 'ring pop' that Madelyn handed him, and the neighbors were teasing him that he looked like some mobster with his suit, a big ring, and some borrowed sun glasses!

After the egg hunt, we enjoyed a wonderful Easter meal.

A beautiful Easter Day all around.

I am so grateful for the sacrifice of my Savior Jesus Christ.

And for the opportunity to worship him with my family at this Easter time.

Spring Break-North Carolina!

 We enjoyed a wonderful family trip to the beach in North Carolina for Spring Break!

 We stayed in Wrightsville Beach, NC-which is just east of Wilmington, NC.

What I didn't realize is that Wrightsville Beach is actually on a small island which was wonderful.

 We stayed at Shell Island Resort, which I would recommend in a heart beat!

LOVED IT!

Every room is a suite, with a kitchen and living room. AND all room are Oceanfront!

Indoor/outdoor pools, play ground, and best of all....Last piece of property on the island! Which meant it minimal people down there!

 Views from our room.

 It took us about 6 1/2 hours to drive there.

And everyone was ready to hit the beach the night we arrived! 

 My feet in the warm sand.....this is what I was wanting from Spring Break!

 Softest smoothest sand I've ever felt!

 Lots of running, playing, and splashing!

 It was evening, and I thought it would be too cold to get in. But the kids never seem to mind the temperature! They just love to be in the water!

SO happy to be here!

 After their ocean swim, we let them warm up in the hot tub!

DAY 2

The next morning we got up and went for a morning walk....

 It was so beautiful, and warming up quickly, so we went back to the room to get suited up for some fun in the sun! We were lucky to have temperatures in the 80's while we were there!

 I loved how wide the beach was....and how empty it was too!

Morning was low tide, which left tons of little tidal pools for the kids to play in.

 Or find fish and crabs in!

 That's my chair way back there (I'm standing in the surf)

 Again, I LOVED how wide and empty the beach was! Had it all to ourselves!

 Digging for shells in the sand.

The mornings find.

We came back to the room for lunch, then headed to Wilmington for some sight-seeing.

 Brian, Hayden, Ronan, Duncan, and Ashlyn all wanted to see the ship  USS North Carolina.

While they did that, Morgan, Madelyn and I went to explore historical Wilmington.

By horse and carriage.

We saw some beautiful old homes.

(This one was built in 1739)

We also explored the river front, had some ice cream, and enjoyed the afternoon.

Then after dinner, back to the beach for an evening walk....

I love this photo because of Ronan's face.

I was wanting a photo of all the kids together, but of course they wouldn't all hold still and look at the camera at the same time....EXCEPT for Ronan! And by this photo he was SO done with all of them! It's causing him pain. (he he)

               

 

               

 

            

 

After baths, and jammies the older kids wanted to watch some TV while Brian & I went for an night walk on the beach.

 Madelyn joined us too.

(One of the wonderful pluses of having older children---Brian & I had evening walks together every night while I vacation!)

DAY 3

 This day we got up before the sun and went for a sunrise walk on the beach.

(That is 5 of us did...Ronan stayed back with sleeping Ashlyn & Madelyn)

 It was a beautiful morning....

The sunrise crew....

Then it's off for another fun day at the beach.....

 The girls danced some ballet for me.

 I love this photo....everyone doing their thing, entertained at the beach.

 And Hayden off finding bigger shells.

That afternoon we took a ride on a riverboat down Cape Fear River.

               

 

It was an hour and a half ride.

Brian and the girls found a shady spot when the sun got too hot....

These too were my buddies for a while up in the front of the boat....

Ashlyn and I snapping photos of ourselves!

After the boat ride, we enjoyed some pizza, and our last evening walk on the beach.

Then the next morning we said goodbye to North Carolina and headed home.

We all had a wonderfully blissful time there...wish it was a longer stay!